Winemaker Notes
The wine is pale, succulent and nervy with terrific cran/cherry fruit, fresh soil notes and very little oak in evidence.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Subtle grapefruit and white-pepper aromas for this often extrovert and sometimes extravagant grape. Elegant, mid-weight palate with a hint of grapefruit bitterness adding some complexity.
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Wine Spectator
Quite juicy, with wild cherry, hibiscus and black tea notes that are in good harmony, supported by light tannins and prominent acidity. Offers a beautiful mouthfeel that coats the palate and invites you back for another sip. Drink now through 2027.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This sunny and relatively dry region served for many years as a German tourist mecca and was associated with low cost, cheerful wines. But since the 1980s, it has gained a reputation as one of Germany’s more innovative regions, which has led to increased international demand.